


Talent Drain

by Spindizzy



Series: Six of Crows fic [1]
Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-29 21:28:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12639516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spindizzy/pseuds/Spindizzy
Summary: Inej puts a crew together.





	Talent Drain

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the first book, set on the boat back.

Inej told Kaz about her plan first, when it was a still a fragile seed she barely dared to breathe on. But she _asked_ Nina first, whispering it in the darkness of the sickroom on the _Ferolind._ Nina couldn't bear to be still, shifting as though the air on her skin was too much for her to bear, but she listened when Inej asked her to join her crew.

"You couldn't keep me away," Nina said. Her smile looking forced, and her tone was light, like when they had been building castles in the air, but she leaned towards Inej as much as she dared. "We could save Grisha from the _drüskelle_ as well as slavers."

"Of course," Inej promised, and didn't look at Matthias asleep in a different corner of the room. Nina looked – they still sought each other out with their eyes whenever they were out of arms reach of each other – but she made no promises on Matthias' behalf, and Inej didn't ask her to. Instead, she settled at Nina's side, avoiding contact as easily as if she'd been sitting next to Kaz, and started to spin a fortune about the army of freed Grisha Nina would return to their homes when she was well.

* * *

"Does Kaz know you're poaching his best crew?" was the first thing Jesper said when she asked him. He didn't sound surprised, but he kept a sharp eye on Kaz on the other side of the ship to make sure they weren't overheard.

"I think he expects it," she said, which wasn't the same thing and Jesper knew it. 

"I was going to stay away from boats for a while after this job," he said, drumming his fingers on the rail, feet tapping, as though that was the only place his pent up energy could go. Inej didn't know if he was itching for the card tables or something else, or if he'd take saved lives as a better gamble. 

"Might need something with a little more firepower than the _Ferolind_ , if you're planning to _sink_ slavers," Jesper says with deliberate casualness. "I might know someone. I can ask, if you want."

Inej couldn't tell him that he wasn't going to recognise Wylan when he next saw him, but she appreciated the thought. "You haven't agreed to come with me yet."

His smile had the reckless edge to it that she recognised though, and his eyes were alight with the potential for trouble, so she wasn't surprised when he slung a long arm around her shoulders and planted a noisy kiss on her forehead. "Of course I will."

* * *

"Would you come with me? If I asked you?"

Kaz didn't answer. Inej stood by the bow of the ship, watching him stare at the sea, watching the muscle twitching in his jaw like he _wanted_ to answer her.

Kaz had put himself back together. Coat, cane, gloves; he was every inch the bastard of the Barrel, despite the salt spray coating all of them and the trembling in his hands. His answer was there, in the trembling of his hands, in the way that _Kaz Brekker_ couldn't look his spider in the eye.

She'd just wanted to know if he'd be able to say it out loud.

"I won't ask," Inej said, an offering laid in the space between them. "But if you ever want to join us, you'll be welcome."

And she stepped past him, to her crew.


End file.
